Happening Now

Members file 280 amendments to the transportation bill—wait until you see what some could mean for your transit system

November 4, 2015

Newly elected House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) promised restive House Republicans that he’d give them a greater opportunity to affect legislation as it moved through the U.S. House. Members from both sides of the aisle responded to the less restrictive rules by flooding the transportation bill (HR 3763) with over 280 amendments!

Their focus ranges from increasing funding for installation of Positive Train Control safety technology, to eliminating the federal role in transportation, to repealing “Obamacare.” The House Rules Committee only approved around 100—but that’s still too many for an average passenger to keep track of potential opportunities—and threats—to their local transit system. That’s why NARP is providing you with this guide to this week’s transportation vote-o-rama.

We’ve created an easy cheat sheet for transit and train related amendments that NARP has taken a position on, spotlighting the biggest opportunities and risks. With a final vote predicted by November 5th, now’s the time to call your representative! We’ve also included a complete list, so get check it out to find the issues that matter most to you!

Biggest Opportunities

—Amendment No. 55 - Reps. Elizabeth Esty (D-CT), Mike Quigley (D-IL): Authorizes $270 million to be used by qualifying railroad carriers to implement positive train control.

NARP Position: Supports

Our reason: Congress took the necessary step of extending the PTC deadline to keep the trains running past December 31. Now it's time for them to make sure railroads are able to meet the new deadline in installing this life-saving technology.

—Amendment No. 18 - Dan Lipinski (D-IL), Mike Mike Quigley (D-IL), Bob Dold (R-IL): Expresses the Sense of Congress that Transit Oriented Development (TOD) is an eligible activity under the RRIF program.

NARP Position: Support

Our reason: The Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Fund (RRIF) has $35 billion in largely untapped rail development funds. By explicitly including Transit Oriented Development as an eligible activity, this amendment would look to utilize the unique power of stations to serve as focal points for real estate development to finally free the RRIF program to power economic and community growth.

Biggest Risks

—Amendment No. 26 - Steve Russell (R-OK): Prohibits Federal financial assistance for any project or activity to establish, maintain, operate, or otherwise support a streetcar service.

NARP Position: Oppose

Our reason: By essentially outlawing streetcars, this amendment robs local communities of choice in selecting which mode works best for them.

—Amendment No. 59 - John Culberson (R-TX), Jamie Herrera-Beutler (R-WA), Al Green (D-TX): Provides that if the applicant for federal funding is required to obtain voter approval before issuing debt for a new fixed guideway project, this amendment would require that applicant to include the following information on the ballot: the total cost of the project; the amount of debt to be incurred to finance the project; the mode of transportation; the route (including the beginning and end points of the proposed route); and duration of the project.

NARP Position: Oppose

Our reason: Masked by bureaucratic jargon--the Federal Transit Administration uses the term "Fixed Guideway System" to describe any light rail, heavy rail, rapid rail, streetcar, or trolley system not explicitly regulated by the FRA--this amendement would create a nearly impossible bar for rail transit projects to clear. There's only one question: if no highway project is required to meet this burden, why should rail transit projects?

—Amendment No. 63 - John Culberson (R-TX): Requires local transit entity to have a debt to equity ratio of at least 1:1 in order to be eligible for federal funds.

NARP Position: Oppose

Our reason: Practically speaking, this amendment would target cities with large rail networks, and early indications are no large transit agency in the U.S. would be able to meet this requirement. This not only holds transit to a higher standard than roads, it holds transit systems to a high debt-to-capital standard than the banks that sparked the great recession.

And here’s the complete list:

No.

Sponsor

Description

NARP Position

NARP Commentary

2

Peter DeFazio (D-OR)

Indexes the gasoline and diesel fuel tax to highway construction cost inflation and fuel efficiency (Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards) and deposits the revenues in the Highway Trust Fund.

Support

Not only has the gas tax not been raised since 1993, it hasn't even been pegged to inflation, meaning its purchasing power is steadily decreasing. This amendment would take a necessary, albeit small, step in adressing the funding crisis facing the highway and transit trust funds

5

James Renacci (R-OH), Reid Ribble (R-WI), Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), Dan Lipinski (D-IL), Mark Amodei (R-NV), Richard Hanna (R-NY), Michael Capuano (D-MA), Lou Barletta (R-PA), Mike Quigley (D-IL), and Charles Rangel (D-NY)

Establishes a bipartisan, bicameral task force to provide a recommendation to Congress on how to balance the Highway Trust Fund long term. If Congress fails to act on these recommendations by December 31, 2018, or balance the Trust Fund through other mechanisms, the Secretary of Treasury will raise the tax on various excise taxes on motor fuels to the appropriate level to fund the outlying years for the 10 year budget window of 2016-2025.

Support

There have been 34 short term extensions of the surface transportation program since 2009. If the U.S. economy is to keep pace with global competition, its infrastructure can't be perpetually mired in crisis. This bipartisan bill would create a commission of Republican and Democratic members to identify solutions to this ongoing problem. And, in a nod to the current state of Washington politics, it empowers the U.S. Secretary of Transportation to raise the gas tax to fund highways and transit should Congress fail to act on the committee's solutions.

18

Dan Lipinski (D-IL), Mike Mike Quigley (D-IL), Bob Dold (R-IL)

Expresses the Sense of Congress that Transit Oriented Development (TOD) is an eligible activity under the RRIF program.

Support

The Railroad Rehabiliation and Investment Fund (RRIF) has $35 billion in largely untapped rail development funds. By explicitly including Transit Oriented Development as an eligible activity, this amendment would look to utilize the unique power of stations to serve as focal points for real estate development to finally free the RRIF program to power economic and community growth.

24

Earl Blumenauer (D-OR

Raises federal gas and diesel taxes by fifteen cents over a three year period and index both to inflation.

Support

It's a political truism in Washington that it's never a good time to raise the gas tax. But when the American Trucking Association AND the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are begging Congress to raise fuel taxes to address a growing transportation infrastructure crisis, it may be time to rethink the party line.

26

Steve Russell (R-OK)

Prohibits Federal financial assistance for any project or activity to establish, maintain, operate, or otherwise support a streetcar service.

Oppose

By essentially outlawing streetcars, this amendment robs local communities of choice in selecting which mode works best for them.

37

Dan Lipinski (D-IL), Mike Mike Quigley (D-IL), Bob Dold (R-IL)

Adds transit oriented development as an eligible activity under the RRIF program.

Support

A partner amendment to the bipartisan trio's proposal to use $35 billion in RRIF funding to power the economic development of train stations.

55

Elizabeth Esty (D-CT), Mike Quigley (D-IL)

Authorizes $270,000,000 to be used by qualifying railroad carriers to implement positive train control

Support

Congress took the necessary step of extending the PTC deadline to keep the trains running past December 31. Now it's time for them to make sure railroads are able to meet the new deadline in installing this life-saving technology.

59

John Culberson (R-TX), Jamie Herrera-Beutler (R-WA), Al Green (D-TX)

Provides that if the applicant for federal funding is required to obtain voter approval before issuing debt for a new fixed guideway project, this amendment would require that applicant to include the following information on the ballot: the total cost of the project; the amount of debt to be incurred to finance the project; the mode of transportation; the route (including the beginning and end points of the proposed route); and duration of the project.

Oppose

Masked by bureaucratic jargon--the Federal Transit Administration uses the term "Fixed Guideway System" to describe any light rail, heavy rail, rapid rail, streetcar, or trolley system not explicitly regulated by the FRA--this amendement would create a nearly impossible bar for rail transit projects to clear. There's only one question: if no highway project is required to meet this burden, why should rail transit projects?

63

John Culberson (R-TX)

Requires local transit entity to have a debt to equity ratio of at least 1:1 in order to be eligible for federal funds.

Oppose

Practically speaking, this amendment would target cities with large rail networks, and early indications are no large transit agency in the U.S. would be able to meet this requirement. This not only holds transit to a higher standard than roads, it holds transit systems to a high debt-to-capital standard than the banks that sparked the great recession.

73

Maloney, Sean (NY), Dold (IL), Blumenauer (OR), King, Peter (NY), McGovern (MA), Lance (NJ), Lipinski (IL), Hultgren (IL), Zeldin (NY), Quigley (IL), Comstock (VA)

Raises the amount of pretax dollars that public transportation customers can use to pay for their commuting costs to $235 from the currently allotted $130 and sets the parking cost deduction at $235.

Support

Finally establishes much-needed parity between tax benefits offered to workers who commute by train and those who drive and park.

87

Ron DeSantis (R-FL)

Empowers States with authority for most taxing and spending for highway programs and mass transit programs, and for other purposes.

Oppose

Don't let the mild description fool you. This amendment would permanently terminate the Mass Transit Account of the Highway Trust Fund, devolving the federal transit and highway programs to the states—because who needs the interstate commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution?

101

Donna Edwards (D-MD), Barbara Comstock (R-VA)

Makes transit-oriented development eligible for TIFIA and lowers the $50 million threshold that TIFIA currently requires to $10 million.

Support

Has the potential to allow local governments and businesses to develop transit stations to their full economic potential by expanding TIFIA eligibility to projects to improve or construct public infrastructure located within walking distance of a station.

110

Dan Lipinski (D-IL), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Bob Dold (R-IL)

Restores local flexibility for New Starts projects.

Support

Rolls back an attempt to undermine investment in New Starts—an investment program that, among other things, has proved effective and launching and expanding transit rail systems—by eliminating a 50/50 federal-state match requirement. It reintroduces the 80/20 federal-state match—the same percentage required for highway projects.

126

John Culberson (R-TX), Al Green (D-TX), Gene Green (D-TX)

Among other things, would allow Houston METRO to count $587 million in local funds spent on the East End light rail line as the local matching credit for an already voter approved commuter rail line along 90A.

Support

We're glad Reps. Culberson and Green are helping a commuter rail project already underway in their own community. But it makes us wonder why they've filed an amendment to make it harder to start new commuter rail projects in other towns…

Comments